Colorado Elk — GMU 231
Colorado GMU 231 covers 114,119 acres and lies 26 miles south-west of Steamboat Springs and 38 miles north of Gypsum. 64% of it is public land, mostly national forest (61%) and BLM (2%). In 2024, 1,497 people hunted elk here and took 211 — 14% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 1,647 tags here for 1,485 first-choice applicants.
Tags (2026):7,746
Nonresident share:capped at 25%
Applicants:3,064
Hunter success (2024):14%
Public land:64%
Size:114,119 acres
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 231, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
EE011P1A elk either-sex archery private-land-only GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34 131, 211, 231] 1,439 tags · 364 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 38% as 2nd choice
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EE011P1A elk either-sex archery private-land-only GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34 131, 211, 231] 439 tags · 5 applicants · Youth100% Undersubscribed 75% as 2nd choice
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EE011P1R elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24 25, 26, 33, 34, 131 211, 231] 920 tags · 308 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 23% as 2nd choice
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EE011P1R elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24 25, 26, 33, 34, 131 211, 231] 220 tags · 7 applicants · Youth100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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EE025O1M elk either-sex muzzleloader season 1 GMU 25 [25, 26, 34, 231] 73 tags · 123 applicants · needed 1 pts · Standard0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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EE025O1M elk either-sex muzzleloader season 1 GMU 25 [25, 26, 34, 231] 150 tags · 3 applicants · needed 1 pts · Youth0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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EE025V1A elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 25 [25, 26, 34, 231] 665 tags · 382 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 51% as 2nd choice
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EE025V1A elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 25 [25, 26, 34, 231] 275 tags · 8 applicants · Youth100% Undersubscribed 33% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 100% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed
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100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
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EF011O1R elk female rifle season 1 GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 33, 131, 211, 231] 580 tags · 230 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 19% as 2nd choice
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EF011O1R elk female rifle season 1 GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 33, 131, 211, 231] 318 tags · 29 applicants · Youth100% Undersubscribed 11% as 2nd choice
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EF025O1M elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 25 [25, 26, 34, 231] 76 tags · 2 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 58% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
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EF025P5R elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 25 [25, 26, 231] 356 tags · 30 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 23% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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— Cut level
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EM011O1R elk male rifle season 1 GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211 231] 1,647 tags · 1,485 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 26% as 2nd choice
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EM011O1R elk male rifle season 1 GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211 231] 92 tags · 70 applicants · Youth100% Undersubscribed 19% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 29% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EE011P1A ↗ elk either-sex archery private-land-only GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34 131, 211, 231] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 38% | — | 1,439 / 364 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EE011P1A ↗ elk either-sex archery private-land-only GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34 131, 211, 231] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 75% | — | 439 / 5 undersubscribed | Youth | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EE011P1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24 25, 26, 33, 34, 131 211, 231] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 23% | — | 920 / 308 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE011P1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24 25, 26, 33, 34, 131 211, 231] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | — | 220 / 7 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE025O1M ↗ elk either-sex muzzleloader season 1 GMU 25 [25, 26, 34, 231] Muzzleloader | 0% Point builder | 0% | 1 steady since 2021 | 73 / 123 | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EE025O1M ↗ elk either-sex muzzleloader season 1 GMU 25 [25, 26, 34, 231] Muzzleloader | 0% Point builder | 0% | 1 −1 since 2022 | 150 / 3 | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EE025V1A ↗ elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 25 [25, 26, 34, 231] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 51% | — | 665 / 382 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EE025V1A ↗ elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 25 [25, 26, 34, 231] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 33% | — | 275 / 8 undersubscribed | Youth | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EE231P2R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 231 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 100% | — | 72 / 3 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EE231P3R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 231 [231] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 38 / 1 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EE231P4R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 231 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — | 29 / 0 | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EF011O1R ↗ elk female rifle season 1 GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 33, 131, 211, 231] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 19% | — +1 since 2023 | 580 / 230 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EF011O1R ↗ elk female rifle season 1 GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 33, 131, 211, 231] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 11% | — steady since 2023 | 318 / 29 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EF025O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 25 [25, 26, 34, 231] Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | 58% | — | 76 / 2 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF025O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 25 [25, 26, 34, 231] Muzzleloader | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — | 74 / 0 | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF025P5R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 25 [25, 26, 231] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 23% | — | 356 / 30 undersubscribed | Standard | Aug 15 – Jan 15, 2027 |
| EF025P5R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 25 [25, 26, 231] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | — | 56 / 6 undersubscribed | Youth | Aug 15 – Jan 15, 2027 |
| EF231O2R ↗ elk female rifle season 2 GMU 231 [231] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | — | 64 / 2 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF231O3R ↗ elk female rifle season 3 GMU 231 [231] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | — | 55 / 4 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EF231O4R ↗ elk female rifle season 4 GMU 231 Rifle | — Cut level | — | — | 14 / 0 | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EM011O1R ↗ elk male rifle season 1 GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211 231] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 26% | — | 1,647 / 1,485 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EM011O1R ↗ elk male rifle season 1 GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211 231] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 19% | — | 92 / 70 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EM231O4R ↗ elk male rifle season 4 GMU 231 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 29% | — | 48 / 2 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EM231O4R ↗ elk male rifle season 4 GMU 231 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — | 46 / 0 | Youth | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- As 2nd choice —
- Colorado lets you name more than one hunt on the application. Miss on your first choice and you go into the pot for whatever tags are left, alongside everyone else's second choices. Points never help a lower choice, so this number is the same whatever you have banked — it is usually worth naming a hunt that goes undersubscribed.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
7 hunts not offered in 2026 are hidden — show discontinued hunts.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard license | $129.11 | $129.11 | $974.27 |
| Youth license | $129.11 | $129.11 | $974.27 |
Application window: opens Mar 1, closes Apr 7, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
Other licenses valid in GMU 231
Not in the table above because they had no result in the 2026 draw.
EE012W1R — elk either-sex rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 12
Standard
EE012W2R — elk either-sex rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 12
Standard
EF012W1R — elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 12
Standard
EF012W2R — elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 12
Standard
EF012W3R — elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 12
Standard
EM011O2R — elk male rifle season 2 GMU 11 [Antlered 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 131, 211, 231]
Youth
EM011O3R — elk male rifle season 3 GMU 11 [11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 131, 211, 231 Antlered]
Youth
The country
Zoomable USGS topo, aerial imagery and shaded relief, with the neighboring areas drawn on.
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
How the hunting has gone
What Colorado Parks and Wildlife publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. Colorado's figures come from CPW's post-season hunter survey. CPW's 2025 report dropped the per-GMU table in favour of hunt-code rows, so the newest year shown here is 2024.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,497 | 211 | 14% |
| 2023 | 1,767 | 231 | 13% |
| 2022 | 2,206 | 315 | 14% |
| 2021 | 2,240 | 367 | 16% |
What people carried (2024 harvest)
- Rifle 118 · 56% · 701 hunters, 17% success
- Archery 87 · 41% · 738 hunters, 12% success
- Muzzleloader 6 · 3% · 58 hunters, 10% success
Boundary: CPW GMU Boundary (Big Game)
Harvest: 2024 Statewide Elk Harvest
Harvest: 2023 Statewide Elk Hunting Harvest Estimates
Harvest: 2022 Statewide Elk Harvest